Power Electronics Courses in India

Power Electronics Courses in India are important areas of the broad Electrical Engineering field of study. Power electronics is defined as an engineering sub discipline which deals with controlling the flow of electrical power using electronic switching devices. Power Electronics is used to change the characteristics (voltage and current magnitude and/or frequency) of electrical power to suit a particular application, making it an interdisciplinary technology. Power electronics development is largely attributed to metallurgical industry. The industry required power electronic converters for applications like arc furnaces, electrolysis plants, induction heating, rolling mill drives and welding. Recently introduced use of this engineering discipline is that of electromagnetic stirring in the processing of molten aluminium. Power Electronics is used in switching power supplies, power converters, power inverters, motor drives and motor soft starters. The amount of power handled may vary from a few watts to megawatts. Power Electronics is important as it converts electrical energy from one form to another in a clean, compact and efficient manner for convenient utilisation. For example - A passenger lift in a modern building equipped with a Variable-Voltage-Variable-Speed induction-machine drive consumes less power with reduced stresses on the motor and corruption of the utility mains. By doing so it offers smooth and comfortable transportation from one floor to another. Power electronic converters in power systems also improve several aspects of system operation. Power Electronics Specialists are known as Power Electronics Engineers. Their speciality lies in power distribution architecture and design.

Few of the power electronic devices are:

• AC to DC Converter – Also known as Rectifier, it is device which converts alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). Devices include DC power supplies and high-voltage direct current power transmission systems.
• DC to AC Converter – Also known as Inverter, it is device that converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). UPS, solar panels and batteries are some of the devices.
• DC to DC Converter – It is used in mobile phones, PDA etc. to  maintain the voltage at a fixed value irrespective of the battery’s voltage level
• AC to AC Converter – It is a device which converts an AC waveform such as the mains supply, to another AC waveform.

Few of the specialized fields

• Power Electronics and Control of Systems
• Power Electronics and Drives
• Power Systems

Course Content: Overview

• Power converters
• Microcontroller applications in power converters
• Electrical machines lab
• Advanced power semiconductor devices

Course Objectives 

• To bring improvement in the application of power electronics to bring an effective power distribution system.
• To conduct high quality research in power system analysis, power system reliability and power quality
• To develop advanced energy conversion technologies through multidisciplinary engineering education in the field of power electronics.

Course: Basic Requirements

For admission to graduate degree course in power electronics, 12^th pass with physics, chemistry and mathematics is required.

Admission is done through IIT-JEE Score Merit List.

Some of the Major Power Electronics Institutes

• National Institute of Technology - NIT Calicut
• National Institute of Technology - NIT Tiruchirappalli
• VEL TECH Dr. R.R. & Dr. S.R. Technical University

Personality Traits

Basically one should have an interest and basic knowledge in electrical and mechanical technology.

Because of its interdisciplinary nature, the candidate will have collaborate with other engineering disciplines, particularly power electronics and test engineers.

A candidate should also have the ability to strategize test methodology based on specifications.

Power Electronics Career & Job Perspectives

India is suffering from power deficiency, just like most of the world. The concerned authorities are trying to improve the efficiency of power transmission through the knowledge of power electronics. The pursuit for efficient sources has created a unique demand for able individuals. There is also a widespread economic slowdown in the world, which necessitates the solution, which in turn ensures continuous employment for power electronics engineers. That is why it is said that the power sector has the greatest element of anti-cyclical behaviour. A fresh engineer can work in research and development, marketing and sales, customer technical support, manufacturing, quality assurance etc.. NTPC, Hi-Rel Electronics Pvt. Ltd. And various other organisations offer power electronics jobs. Some of the foreign organisations concerned with power electronics include SL Power Electronics (SLPE), Princeton Power Systems, Delta-Q Technologies etc.

Remuneration - Fresh engineering graduates usually start with a salary of Rs. 200,000 – Rs. 350,000 per annum. Those with 5-7 years of experience can acquire Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 1 million per Design engineers salary is usually closer to the upper limit. At the international level, the minimum salary may move up to around Rs. 2 million within five years.

Power Electronics Job Types

• AutoCAD Engineer
• Training Manager
• Power Electronics Scientist
• Power Electronics Researcher
• Test Engineer
• Maintenance Engineer
• Production Engineer
• Power Electronics Assembler
• Rotating Machine Control Specialist

Power Electronics Employment Areas

• Electric Vehicle Industry
• Research Firms
• Power Electronics Technology Organisations
• Power Electronics Solution Bodies
• Power Electronics Device Manufacturing Companies
• Consultancies
• Training Institutes
• Power Electronics Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Plants